Glentress Peel
Glentress Peel is a new Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) visitor facility based in the heart of the Tweed Valley Forest Park (TVFP) at Glentress Forest, partly funded by Scottish Enterprise and Sportscotland.
The forest is already the biggest tourist attraction in the Scottish Borders, with 300,000 visitors a year and increasing. To cope with this demand and to provide modern facilities, FCS is proposing a total revamp of the current visitor facilities at Glentress.
We aim to have the new facilities open for early 2011.
Glentress Peel Facilities
Locally-sourced timber will be used to create the structures for the four new buildings spread across the 12-acre hill side site.
Orientation Building
The orientation building will house the osprey viewing and exhibition space as well as the shower, toilet and changing facilities. The Café
The café building will have an outdoor decked area overlooking the ponds.Bike shop and hire
There will be a bike shop/hire outlet. Timber trusses (pictured) will be a main feature of the interior. The Peel Building
The Peel building will house FC rangers and provide a multi-use space.Various options were considered for retaining and altering the property purchased with the new site but the conversion of a domestic property into office accommodation and meeting space wasn’t feasible in this instance.
The overall site plan
The four buildings will be linked with a series of roads, bridges, pathways and signage which will help bring the whole site to life for all of our visitors.
Work to date and next stages
Work carried out to date:
- Gaia architects have been appointed and are leading on the project with the assistance of their design team.
- We’ve been working closely with SEPA and Scottish Borders Council to ensure all necessary licences and planning approvals are sought.
- R J McLeod are currently carrying out the first phase of civil engineering works on site which are due for completion this summer.
- Regular visitors will notice changes to the current site where the landscaping is starting to take shape, a new access road to the Osprey car park has been installed and a new link path built down to the 7stanes car park.
Next Stages
- The newly landscaped areas will be seeded this summer in line with the approved landscape plan for the site.
- Contractors who got through the initial stage of the procurement process for the construction contract will be asked to tender for the contract this summer with the aim of starting a 12 month construction period in the autumn.
- We aim to have the new facilities open for early 2011.
Vision
Our vision is that the TVFP should be recognised as a centre of excellence for active outdoor recreation in attractive forests and a source of pride for local communities.
Glentress Peel will be a showcase for FCS and our partners, serving the needs of visitors to the Forest Park. It will be developed along three guiding principles:
- To provide visitors to the Tweed Valley with a memorable experience and high quality services.
- To be designed and built on sustainable principles.
- To demonstrate good practice in the use of timber, where possible using timber grown locally.
Contact us
For further information or enquiries relating to the project please contact us at: glentress.peel@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
